Controversial Shia Ritual Under Fire
Some Shia clerics are now recommending believers to donate their blood instead of shedding it in a ritual to commemorate the Imam Hussein.
22 Feb 05
Middle East
Wave of Anger at Killing of Hamas Chief
Anti-Coalition Sunni heartland sees biggest protests, but Shia protestors also call for retribution.
22 Feb 05
US Policy Sets Back Arab Human Rights
The war in Iraq, and America's response to 9/11, have undermined human rights activists throughout the Middle East.
22 Feb 05
Planning for Reconstruction
After the destruction a historic opportunity beckons, but US plans to rebuild a post-Saddam Iraq are unclear.
22 Feb 05
The Fake Fatwa
Iraqi Shia reject the religious decree calling on Iraqis to defend the country, insisting that it has been issued under coercion from the regime.
22 Feb 05
Rifles and Radios Across the Front Line
Kurdish sources in Northern Iraq report increasing defections from the Iraqi military.
22 Feb 05
Turkey Looking Backward
While Turkey fails to take up the key role it could play in the region's future, the West fails to understand its historic sensitivities.
22 Feb 05
Syria Feels the Heat
US pressure on Iraq's neighbour has strengthened hardliners and set-back the nascent movement for political opening.
22 Feb 05
Justice the Day After
Long-standing efforts to bring the Iraqi leadership to justice have failed, leaving the strategy for dealing with any deposed rulers unclear.
22 Feb 05
Not With a Bang, But a Whimper?
Although fighting continues, Saddam Hussein may fall from power without invoking his long-standing threat of a final disaster.
22 Feb 05
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